Red Wings' Ty Conklin continues to fill in for Chris Osgood in goal

DETROIT -- Ty Conklin delivered for Pittsburgh midway through last season when starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was sidelined by an ankle injury.

He also has stepped up when the Detroit Red Wings have needed him to sub for an injured or ineffective Chris Osgood.

Conklin will start for the third straight game tonight against the St. Louis Blues at Joe Louis Arena. It will be his sixth start in the past eight games, his 11th in the last 18 games.

"He can come in as a backup and play solid, and when he's the starter, as he is now, he's ready to play," Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom said. "It's got to be tough being a backup goalie (because) you don't get into a groove. But he's been playing really well."

Conklin is 10-4 with a 2.64 goals-against average, .905 save percentage and two shutouts. He has played more than anticipated, and might get more action depending on how Osgood's strained groin reacts to today's gameday skate.

If Osgood feels good, he will continue to back up Conklin until he is fully healed. If he does not fare well, Osgood said he will be placed on long-term injured reserve, which would require him to miss a minimum of 10 games or 24 days.

That would clear enough salary-cap space to allow the club to recall a goaltender, likely Jimmy Howard, from Grand Rapids (AHL).

"(Today) will be the biggest day," Osgood said. "If I can go through the whole practice and take shots to where it doesn't hurt, then I'll be back.

"I felt better (Monday). If I feel good (today), I don't think I'll have to go on IR."

If Osgood goes on injured reserve, the Red Wings are comfortable seeing more of Conklin.

"He comes to the rink and works hard. He gets prepared. He's going to give you everything he's got," coach Mike Babcock said.

"Is it going to go good every night? No. He had a night in Boston (4-1 loss on Nov. 29) I'm sure he'd like to forget, but that's the way hockey is. He's given us a lot of good efforts."

Conklin's biggest adjustment has been facing fewer shots -- the Red Wings face the third fewest shots per game in the NHL at 26.9.

"I've gotten used to going 10 or 15 minutes where most of the play was at the other end of the ice," Conklin said. "There's some nights where you're not going to get a lot of action, and I think seeing 20-25 shots is a lot different than seeing 30-35 shots."

Conklin said he's more concerned about the quality of goals he allows rather than quantity, as long as the team is winning.

"Just because we win 4-2 or 5-2 doesn't mean you played great and just because you lose 3-2 or 4-2 doesn't mean you played poorly," Conklin said. "Certainly you want to let in fewer goals, but I'm more concerned about quality right now."

Osgood, who initially felt pain during pregame warm-ups before Detroit's Dec. 15 matchup against Colorado, has worked out on-ice with goaltending coach Jim Bedard for about 40 minutes the past two days. An MRI last week revealed no torn muscles.

"I don't want to be out for a month and a half, two months, like some guys have (with groin injuries)," Osgood said. "You want to be careful and be 100 percent. If I tear it, I'm going to be out for a long time and then it's going to bother me for the rest of the year."

If Osgood goes on injured reserve, Conklin likely would start the Jan. 1 Winter Classic against the Chicago Blackhawks at Wrigley Field. Conklin has started the NHL's previous two outdoor games, with Edmonton and Pittsburgh.

Progress in Zetterberg talks
The Red Wings have made progress in their efforts to re-sign center Henrik Zetterberg, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

General manager Ken Holland recently met with Zetterberg's agent, Marc Levine, and the sides closed the gap. It will be a long-term deal for seven years or more and likely will be front-loaded so Zetterberg earns more money the first few seasons and less toward the end, keeping the salary-cap number manageable for the club.

It remains to be seen whether it will average slightly less or more than Lidstrom's $7.45 million salary.

Babcock hoping for Sweden games
Babcock likes the idea of his team starting the 2009-10 regular season with a pair of games in Sweden against the Blues, which the NHL is contemplating.

"For Nick Lidstrom -- who's the face of our franchise, who's the greatest European-born player of all time and one of the greatest defenseman to ever play, if not the greatest -- I think it's the right thing to do," Babcock said. "For the rest of Little Sweden (the club's other six Swedes), it would probably be a thrill as well."

Blues banged up
The Blues have lost six of seven games and will be without forwards Paul Kariya (hip), Andy McDonald (ankle) and T.J. Oshie (ankle) and defensemen Eric Brewer (back) and Jay McKee (finger).